Dangerous Deceptions
by mistyfur
Summary: A normal day in the Delta Quadrant turns deadly as the crew fights for the life of thier Captain.
1. Chapter 1

Disclamiers: Come on, do I really need to tell you who owns them?

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE**

**Captain's Log Stardate 48316.3**

**We have been continuing to make our way through out the Delta Quadrant**

**in as we search for a way home. Regretfully we have not been successful**

**but crew morale remains high thank to Neelix's constant efforts. If only**

**ship's supplies were as easy to maintain. Voyager's energy supplies are**

**starting to run low and I might soon have to place everyone on rations. We**

**have been scanning the space ahead of us and have discovered a nebula.**

**B'Elanna has informed me that we may be able to covert the plasma within**

**the nebulae into a usable source of energy.**

Captain Kathryn Janeway sat quietly in her command chair and looked towards the monitor. The unfamiliar stars flashed by as Voyager made its solitary journey through the Delta quadrant. They were seventy years away from home, in a quadrant that that Starfleet had never explored. Their only chance for survival was to become an efficient crew that was prepared for what ever the universe could throw at them.

Janeway swept her intelligent blue eyes around her, taking in every detail of the bridge. Her posture was relaxed and she had a slight smile on her face. All around her the crew, both Starfleet and Maquis, worked together in unison. Janeway was pleased to see how well the two crews had merged together. They were no longer Starfleet or Maquis crew members, they were a Voyager crew. Both crews had bonded together in their desire to achieve their goal to reach home. It had been difficult but they were finally acting like a team that respected each other's abilities.

"Estimated time of arrival, Mr. Kim?" Janeway inquired looking towards the Ops station.

"Approximately three hours, Captain. We should be able to start receiving data on the nebula in two hours." Kim replied after checking the various panels in front of him self.

Ensign Harry Kim was the least experienced of the senior bridge crew, having graduating from Starfleet Academy to serve on Voyager. Already he had proved to be an outstanding officer and someone that could be counted on in a crisis.

Janeway turned to her first officer, "Start scanning the nebula as soon as we're in range, Chakotay. I'll be in my ready room. Contact me as soon as we're in visual range."

"Aye, Captain." Chakotay responded.

Janeway stood and walked briskly towards her ready room, she paused at the entrance and looked once more Chakotay.

They had developed a relationship based on mutual trust and respect. After having spent this last year with him, Janeway could not image a time where she did not have his console to support her in this difficult journey. The strong bond that had grown between the two adversaries was a positive sign of strength to the mixed crew and a welcome haven for the two senior officers.

Chakotay glanced away from his console and looked surprised to still see her standing at the door to her ready room.

" Is something the matter, Captain?"

Janeway shook her head, "No, Commander. Just observing. Have to make sure you're all still working the minute the Captain leaves the bridge."

"So much for us throwing a wild party while the Captain is away. It was a good plan and it was all Chakotay's idea," Tom Paris mused out loud. His eyes glanced towards Chakotay with a twinkle. "Maybe we can do it the next away mission."

"Mr. Paris, congratulations." Chakotay said with a beaming smile. "For that comment, you have just volunteered to spend the next day training with the Doctor as a field medic. Report to sickbay at 08:00 tomorrow."

"Come on it was a joke! Where's your sense of humor?"

"It'll be here tomorrow at 08:00." Chakotay replied with a grin.

Janeway laughed out loud, "That will teach you to tattle on a superior officer, Tom. You have the bridge."

Janeway chuckled as she heard Paris wheedling to escape the Doctor's clutches. The doors opened with a soft hiss and she entered into a quiet haven. Janeway walked towards her desk and sat down. It was only when she was by herself that she allowed herself to appear weary and torn.

Her thoughts drifted back towards her crew. They were a fine crew that any Captain would be proud to command and one that she had vowed to return home to their families. No matter the odds facing them and how impossible it seemed she couldn't give up hope. Janeway was overwhelmed by the rush of emotions that she felt at that moment. Helplessness at the situation her crew was in and unreasonable anger at herself for allowing it to happen. Almost at once she brushed those thoughts away.

She couldn't afford to waste time over a decision already made. She had made the right decision to destroy the Caretaker's array and help save the Ocampa. Janeway decision had stranded Voyager in the Delta Quadrant but it had also saved an entire race of people from the Kazon brutality.

Janeway felt the weight of command descend on her and reprimanded herself sharply. I have to control my emotions. If I don't the crew might start to falter and they are depending on me to be strong.

Janeway closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. Then with a soft sign, Janeway got up and walked towards the replicator. " Coffee, black."

There was a slight pause and then a steaming cup of coffee appeared in the replicator. Grabbing the coffee she walked towards her desk and picked up one of the many report pads awaiting her review.

* * *

Commander Chakotay watched as the stars flashed by as Voyager made its way to the nebula. All around him the crew communicated in soft voices. Chakotay enjoyed the time that he spent in command of Voyager; it reminded him of when he was captain of his Maquis ship. Chakotay had sacrificed his ship to defend Voyager. Janeway had lost her first officer and had asked him to be her first officer. It was a gesture to unite the two different crews and show that each sides matter to both commanding officers.

Even now he was still surprised at how strong a bond had been formed between him and Janeway. It went beyond just respect and admiration, and had turned into a growing friendship. Janeway had not yet brought up what was worrying her but he knew that she would. He was aware of the dire situation they were in. Food source were hard to come by and that had forced them to rely on the replicator systems more, which further depleted their energy stores. It had become a constant game of survival for the crew and even the junior staff was starting to be aware of the struggle to find the basics that Voyager needed.

Lieutenant Paris glanced back towards Chakotay and grinned at the silent commander. His eyes flashed with mischief as he needled Chakotay," Come on, Chakotay. You weren't serious about me having to be with the Doc tomorrow? You're going to need your best pilot for tomorrow. Who knows the conditions that may arise while I'm not here?"

"Tom, I think you have a lot to learn from the Doctor maybe I should schedule you for the next few weeks with him. Just to make sure your training is perfect." Chakotay replied with a serious expression, as he reached for the monitor in front of him. "I think I'll contact the Doctor right now and advise him to expect you bright and early."

"Commander, sensors have detected a biosignature being emitted from the nebula." Kim interrupted.

"Are you certain, Ensign?"

Kim rechecked the sensor readings and looked towards Chakotay. "Aye, Sir. The sensors are showing that the nebula is emitting a faint biosignature. According to the readings the nebula is alive."

"Tuvok, are there any ships in the surrounding area that might be sending out false readings?" Chakotay asked.

"Negative, Commander. There are presently no ships in that general area that would cause the nebula to exhibit signs of life. It is possible that this is merely a sensor malfunction and not a biosignature. Nothing could survive in that environment."

"The Captain needs to be made aware of this. If there is any possibility that the nebula is a life form, we need to find out before we waste resources getting there." Chakotay stood and walked towards the view screen. He reached up and tapped his comm badge, "Chakotay to Janeway."

* * *

Janeway reached forward absently for her cup of coffee and took a sip. The smell of the bitter brew brought back pleasant memories of earth and the family she had left behind. She reached for one of the various reports from the department heads and brought her focus to the task at hand. She had just started on the engineering report when she heard her name being called.

"Janeway, here. What is it, Commander?" Janeway asked as she continued to read the reports.

There was a slight pause before Chakotay responded to Janeway's inquire and it was enough to pull her attention away from the padd. "Commander?"

"Ensign Kim has discovered something unique about the nebula." Chakotay responded in a mysterious voice.

Janeway quickly got up and walked briskly towards the door of her ready room. "Is the ship in any danger?"

"No, Captain but you should come to the bridge to verify this for yourself. It's extraordinary."

The doors opened with a soft hiss and Janeway walked briskly onto the bridge. "Report, Commander. What was so important that you pulled me away from ships reports? Not that I minded." Janeway said lightly.

"Captain, Kim found that the nebula is emitting a faint biosignautre." Chakotay answered.

Janeway glanced at Chakotay in amazed disbelief. "Mr. Tuvok, is there a malfunction with the sensors?"

"Negative, Captain."

"Captain, if this is a life form. There's no way that we will be able to gather energy from it perhaps we should look for another source of energy." Chakotay suggested quietly to her.

Janeway gestured to Chakotay to approach her before whispering softly, "Commander, if we don't gather the energy from the nebula, this ship won't be capable of warp speed or supporting life in the next week or so."

"I realized that things were serious but I didn't think that things had gotten so bad. Why haven't you said anything before?" Chakotay asked in a disappointed voice. "I'm here to help you and shoulder some of the responsibility. You don't have to do this alone."

"I'm sorry, Chakotay. I was hoping to have this solved before things had taken such a turn for the worse. Let's hope that the nebula will solve all our problems." Janeway responded looking for the first time disheartened. She walked towards her chair and sat down. "Ensign Kim, scan the field once more to verify those readings."

"Aye, Sir." Kim worked quickly over his panels. He glanced up with a confused expression. "The sensors show that there is no sign of a biosignature or that there ever was one. I can't explain it, Captain."

"Either there's a problem with our sensors or maybe this is a new form of life unique to the Delta quadrant. Commander, I want you and B'Elanna to run a full system diagnostic. Have it ready by 20:00. That should give us some time before we arrive at the nebula. Mr. Kim, I want you to patch all the data we have received on the field to my monitor and keep a watch for any future sensor fluctuations." Janeway ordered as she pulled up her monitor and started reviewing the data collected.

Tuvok announced, "We have arrived at the field, Captain."

"On screen, " Janeway ordered. "Run a full spectrum scan of the nebula and check for life signs, Mr. Kim."

"Engaging the sensors, Captain." Kim reported while looking down at the various monitors in front of him. "No signs of life but the appearance of the nebula is altering."

Janeway glanced forward towards the image of the nebula. "The change appears to be natural in origin. Remarkable. Well gentlemen, I think that we will stay and observe the-"

"Captain!" Kim called out in a worried voice. "The nebula is extending itself towards Voyager!"

Janeway looked towards the view screen," Mr. Tuvok, Shields! Mr. Paris, prepare to back us away from the nebula on my orders."

"Aye, Captain." Paris replied in a confident voice. "Just say when."

The nebula continued to reach out long tendrils of energy towards Voyager outer hull. "Back us away from the nebula, full reverse, Tom."

"Full reverse- what?" Tom pushed the buttons on his console repeatedly. "Captain, the nebula has destabilized the wrap field!"

"B'elanna, is there any way to activate the warp field?"

"Negative, Captain. The only engines we have are impulse power." B'elanna answered.

"Divert all available power to the shields." Janeway ordered. "Red Alert!"

The bridge darkened and glowed red in the background as soon as the order was called out. The loud, blaring sound of the klaxon echoed throughout all the decks.

Voyager shuddered slightly as the nebula energy hit the forward shields.

"No effect, Captain. The nebula's energy is penetrating the shields. Attempting to alternate the shield harmonics." Tuvok called out. "No effect."

Janeway looked at the image of the nebula with a determined gleam in her eyes. "Not to my ship." Janeway muttered under her breath as she stood and placed her hands on her hips. "Mr. Paris, evasive pattern Omega 8."

Voyager began shake uncontrollably as the nebula surrounded it and continued to force itself through the shields. Paris struggled to maintain his seat as he plotted the evasive pattern.

"Shield's down to twenty percent and continuing to drop." Kim called out while he tightly held onto his console. "The energy will completely penetrate the shields in thirty seconds."

"Captain, I don't understand how the nebular energy is breaking through our shields. Sensors are not detecting any weapons or intelligence behind this. What the hell is going on?" Chakotay demanded.

"B'elanna, divert life support energy to the shields." Janeway ordered calmly.

"Stand by Bridge." B'elanna answered after a few seconds. "It's no use, Captain! It's matching everything we do to try and stop it. We're using all available power to try and stop it."

"Shields are failing!" Kim called out.

"All hands brace for impact," Chakotay called out.

All around the bridge everyone prepared for the impact. Janeway tensed as a bright translucent light filled the bridge and the shaking abruptly stopped. She quickly reviewed the options she had. Changing the harmonic of the shields had not worked but what is she adjusted the harmonic to the inverse of the energy source. Either she let the energy invade her ship or she could attempt it. It would work, she was sure of it.

Janeway tossed a quick look at Chakotay and began to give the order that would save her ship. The bright light had started towards Janeway's position and suddenly a blast of light rushed towards her.

TBC

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	2. AN

Author's Note:

Hi everyone!

Sorry for the delay in getting the next chapter out but RL has been extremely hectic this last month and a half. I've gotten back chapter 2 from my beta and I need to tweek it a little bit before posting.

Thank you for being so patient with me.

Hugs,

mistyfur


	3. Chapter 2

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Disclaimers: See Chapter 1

AN2: It's finally been updated! I have no excuses, except that I couldn't get this to work out for the longest time. It's been a long time coming and I hope you all enjoy this new chapter.

AN: A big thank you to Shakayla for beta'ing this chapter for me. You are amazing :D

* * *

The beam of light struck Kathryn with a loud crack and the force of the impact flung her backwards, her momentum stopped when her body crashed against the wall by the viewscreen. The sound of bones breaking, the smell of burnt flesh and the sharp scent of blood permeated the bridge. Upon impact, Kathryn uttered a low grunt a pain before her body fell to lie in a heap on the carpeted floor.

As soon as the energy had struck Janeway, the bright light had dissipated from the bridge leaving behind a crew frozen in shock. The attack had come so swiftly that it took a few seconds to realize what had happened to their Captain.

Chakotay rose from his seat and ran to kneel by her collapsed body. As gently as possible, he ran his hands up and down her body feeling for broken bones or the sign of blood. He quickly reached out and checked for a pulse. He released a deep breath that he didn't even realize he was holding at finding her weak and thready pulse. A bruise started to form on Janeway's pale face and a trail of blood seeped down her nose and month, staining the ground beneath her. He brushed aside her hair. As he pulled away, his fingers were covered and stained red with her blood.

"Bridge to Sickbay! Medical Emergency." Chakotay called out tapping on his comm badge and praying that nothing else would go wrong.

"Sickbay to Commander Chakotay. Please state the nature of the medical emergency," The Doctor inquired.

"The Captain's been struck down by some kind of electrified beam." Chakotay responded.

"Beam her directly to sickbay. It would be too dangerous to attempt to move her without knowing the full extent of her injuries," The Doctor instructed, as the sound of equipment filtered through the open comm channel.

"Understood. Be ready, we are transporting her now." Chakotay replied. He nodded to Harry to initiate the site to site beam out and watched as she disappeared from view.

"Bridge. We've got her. Sickbay out."

Chakotay turned to glance at the Tactical station. "Tuvok, find a way to block whatever that was. The last thing I need or want is someone else getting injured if it comes through here again."

"Aye, Sir," Tuvok responded, his fingers flying over the console trying to analyze the source of the beam in order to keep it from infiltrating their defenses again.

* * *

"Kes!" The Doctor called out, his voice urgent as he sought out the young Ocampan that had become his assistant not long after their voyage started. "Prepare the surgical bay for the Captain's arrival."

"Yes, Doctor." Kes answered as she rushed about the room grabbing vials and a soft blue cloth to cover the Captain when she arrived. She tried to remain calm – wanted to pretend that this was just another one of the Doctor's many tests. The knowledge that in a matter of minutes the Captain would be transported to Sickbay with unknown injuries caused a flicker of fear to run through her.

The whine of the transporter drew her attention and she hurried over, waiting for the beam to dissipate and reveal the injured woman. Kes held back a gasp at the small pool of blood that surrounded the Captain, matting her hair and dampening her uniform until it was slightly sticky and wet.

The Doctor scanned her, his eyes narrowing at the injuries being listed. "Kes, The Captain has had severe trauma to her body. She has broken three ribs, her right hip and ankle. There's also some internal bleeding from one of her ribs puncturing her lung and some damage to the pons varolli. Overall nothing that can't be treated." The Doctor reported in a positive tone of voice.

He continued, issuing orders as he worked. "Kes, prepare the Captain for surgery." Nodding, he passed the tricorder to Kes and carefully lifted the Captain onto the surgical bed. Kes quickly attached a cortical monitor and made notes of their readings.

"Right away, Doctor." Kes answered, pushing forward the tiny cart she had prepared.

There was a loud beep from the tricorder and the Doctor started to frown. "That's strange." He muttered under his breath.

"What is it, Doctor?" Kes asked.

The medical readings above the Captain's biobed began to plunge rapidly and the frantic beeps echoed throughout sickbay. Her body stiffened and she began to convulse violently on the bed. Perspiration dotted her forehead and she became flushed. Her agonized gasps for air rattled within the sickbay. The Doctor restrained her from doing further bodily harm to herself.

"Kes, the Captain is going into cardiac arrest!" The Doctor barked out sharply as he scanned the tricorder intently to determine exactly what should be done. "Begin a fifteen kilo dyne burst on my mark, ten second duration." The Doctor instructed as he held Janeway's struggling body and proceed to strap her down to prevent further injuries to herself. "Now!"

Kathryn's body arched up and her breathing continued grow increasingly erratic. Her face and lips were starting to turn blue, as her lungs failed to provide her oxygen. Her heart beat slowed to almost an inaudible beat, slugglishly struggling to pump as every system within her body started to shut down. Her body began to succumb to the injuries she had received, injuries that had minutes before seemed treatable, now were pushing her closer to death's door.

Kes looked up with a worried expression, her voice trembled slightly with each word she uttered, "No effect, Doctor! Her life signs are dropping further."

"Another burst, twenty seconds. Now!" The Doctor ordered in a frantic voice, as the life sign readings became more unstable. The doctor worked quickly to revive the Captain's weakened body. "Again!"

"Nothing, Doctor." Kes whispered.

"Hypospray with twenty-five milligrams of cordrazine," the Doctor demanded. Kes quickly prepared the hypo spray and handed it to the Doctor. He turned the Captain's face away from him and injected it into her neck.

Janeway ceased struggling; her body shuddered one last time before she collapsed limply onto the bed. Though her form was still, breathing in quick pants and exhaling in a low wheezes. She was perspiring heavily, her normally porcelain face was flushed from her efforts to draw air, but at least her readings were slowly returning to normal.

Sickbay was eerily quiet as the Doctor ran the tricorder over the Captain.

"How is she, Doctor?" Kes asked quietly.

The Doctor glanced at Kes with a worried expression. "I don't know. For the time being Captain Janeway is stable, but unless I can repair the damage she will die. The surgery will last a few hours. If all goes well, she should regain consciousness after that."

He studied his patient quietly for a few more minutes. Finally, he offered in a subdued voice. "Let's begin."

* * *

The silence on the bridge had become unbearable. Every crew member's thoughts were on the recent events that had occurred and the injury to their Captain. No one seemed to know what to say to lighten the situation.

Chakotay looked torn between staying on the bridge and needing to be in sickbay with Kathryn. The crew was waiting for news of the Captain and he should be there for them if they needed to speak to him. But he felt an instinctive pull to be at her side and protect her from further harm.

His mind kept bringing up the image of her broken body, the sight and smell of her blood was a vivid memory that would haunt his dreams for many nights to come. He paused when he saw the worried looks on the faces of those who surrounded him.

"Commander, how do you think the Captain is?" Kim asked in a worried tone.

Chakotay looked at all the expectant faces glancing his way. He saw hope and fear clash in each person's eyes as they pondered their Captain's condition.

"The Captain is going to be fine. I'm sure that the Doctor will have her up and running in no time. How many times has he claimed that medical emergencies are simply procedures for a skilled physician such as himself." Chakotay replied in a confident tone, denying the small sliver of fear that was worming its way into his conscious. "Status report, Ensign Kim."

"All systems are working within acceptable parameters, Sir." Kim reported.

"Any activity from the nebula?"

"No, Sir. Everything has returned back to normal."

"I guess after going against Captain Janeway, it decided to cut its losses." Chakotay joked, trying to break the tension on the bridge. "I know that I, for one, would never want to go up against her in a fight."

"Captain Janeway would be pleased to hear that, Commander." Tuvok responded in a stiff tone.

Chakotay saw everyone crack a smile at the Vulcan's response to Chakotay's attempt to lighten the mood on the sober bridge.

"Alright, everyone, let's back away from the nebula and work on a way to modify the shields in case anything else happens." Chakotay ordered as he sat down and began reviewing the sensor information about the nebula.

* * *

**Chief Medical Officers Log Supplemental, Stardate 48316.8**

**I have repaired the damage to the Captain's body, but it still unknown  
if there will be any permanent damage until she regains  
consciousness. She has began to breath on her own and no longer  
requires the aid of the artificial respirator.**

**End Log**

"Kes, how is our patient?" The Doctor asked.

"The Captain seems to be responding well to the treatment," Kes replied, glancing over at the still body of her Captain, finding it difficult to see her so weakened and hurt, two words that Kes had never thought to link to her Captain. Gently as she could, she brushed aside the strands of hair that had fallen over the Captain's cheeks and over her eyes, needing the contact with the warm flesh to convince herself that despite the Captain's appearance, she was still with them. "But at times, I keep getting a strange reading for some of the scans that I've performed on the Captain. There seems to be odd waves, almost like an overlapping patter, emitting from the Captain's brain."

The Doctor glanced over at the readings with a frown. "Let me see that, Kes."

"Hmmm."

"What is it?" Kes asked.

The Doctor looked up with a smile," Nothing is the matter, Kes. The wave-like readings are the brain's way of responding to the trauma that the body endured. The Captain appears fine and should wake up soon."

The Doctor started to walk away from Janeway's prone body when he saw her eyes twitch and she started to shift on the bed. A low moan emerged from Janeway as she opened her eyes and stared at the Doctor with a confused expression.

"Captain, are you alright?" The Doctor asked with a smile.

Janeway continued to just look up at him with dazed and perplexed eyes. Faint traces of fear began to creep into those clear blue eyes.

"Sickbay to Commander Chakotay."

"Chakotay here." He replied. "Is everything alright, Doctor?"

"Everything is fine Commander. Perhaps you could come down to sickbay and be of some assistance. The Captain is awake, but she hasn't said anything to either Kes or myself. Maybe she would respond to your presence."

"I'll be right down, Doctor."

The Doctor was just finishing injecting the Captain with a hypo spray when Chakotay entered sickbay. Pausing at the foot of the bio-bed, Chakotay's eyes swept over her, needing the phyiscal reassuance that all was well with her, not just the verbal announcement of her status by the Doctor. Under his dark gaze, he saw Kathryn flinch away from the Doctor and even in the distance that he stood away from, he saw the wariness in her eyes before she closed them.

"Doctor?" Chakotay inquired in a concerned voice.

"She's fine. Just a little disoriented and has a mild concussion. I just gave her something to help control the pain. I'll need to take a few more readings for further diagnosis. I'll return in just a minute."

Chakotay paced back and forth in front of the Captain's biobed. He kept tossing worried glances at Janeway's prone body. Janeway looked so small and helpless while lying down without moving. Her expressive eyes were closed and her chest rose and fell with each ragged breath she took. Chakotay saw one of her hands twitch against the blanket that covered her. He quickly rushed to side and picked up her hand.

"Kathryn," Chakotay whispered softly. "Come on, I know that you're there. Just open your eyes."

The Doctor let out an exasperated breath." Commander, leave my patient alone. It will take the hypo spray a minute to start to dull the pain. You might want to wait until it begins to work before bombarding her with questions, it stands to reason that the pain at the moment is too much for Captain Janeway to handle."

It was during the Doctor's reprimand that Kathryn opened her eyes. She looked about in confusion, her heart started to race frantically and she let out a startled gasp. Chakotay and the Doctor spun around in her direction.

"Captain!" The Doctor exclaimed in an excited voice.

_Where was she? Who were these people surrounding her? Who was she? Kathryn thought frantically as she looked around suspiciously._

"How are you feeling?" The Doctor inquired as he scanned her.

"I'm fine." Kathryn responded in a quiet voice after a moment of silence.

"Good! Another crew member pulled away from the jaws of death by excellent doctoring. Captain, I recommend a few days of rest," The Doctor paused, only to continue in a sarcastic tone, "but I expect that you will probably disregard my advice and return to your duties immediately."

Kathryn just continued to look at the Doctor without responding to his verbal comment.

"Where am I and who are you?" Kathryn asked turning to the handsome male with the strange facial art on his face.


End file.
